Research results

The digital lives of Australia’s First Nations children

15th June 2023

A recent report by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner (eSafety) has found the internet plays a vital role in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, enabling them to form important cultural and social connections with friends and family. However, the report also shows that First Nations children are much more likely than the national average to have been treated in a hurtful or nasty way online, experiences that can lead to impaired mental health, perceived reputation damage and lower school performance.

New findings from Kids Online Chile

9th May 2023

Five years after their first survey on children’s internet use, Kids Online Chile recently launched their new findings. We see closing gaps in internet access, inequalities in digital skills, greater levels of parental support, and young people’s enthusiasm for online activities, including informal learning.

Three in ten children in Brazil look for mental health and well-being information online

16th August 2022

The 8th edition of the ICT Kids Online Brazil survey is launched today by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br). Drawing on a nationally representative survey with 2, 651 children aged 9 to 17 and one of their parents, the Brazilian study is the longest-running in the Global Kids Online network with annual waves since 2012. A new addition to the survey this year was collecting data on the use of the internet for health information and emotional support.

Online sexual exploitation and abuse: new findings

1st June 2022

Protecting children from online sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) has been at the forefront of international efforts over the past week. The WePROTECT Global Summit in Brussels gathered more than 400 delegates from industry, government, civil society and international organisations coming together with the aim to strengthen the global response to OCSEA. The misuse of the internet and digital technologies to sexually abuse and exploit children is a rapidly growing issue that knows no borders. Yet, evidence on the nature and scale of the problem remains limited.

Children’s experiences of risks online in Zambia

9th May 2022

Like children in many parts of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected the lives of children in Zambia, with many moving online for many of their daily activities and simply spending more time online. While there is no reliable data on the degree to which children were using the internet and technology before the pandemic, the recent Zambia Kids Online study undertaken across several sites within Zambia has provided some insight into children’s online experiences, both positive and negative.

Adjusting to a socially distanced world

29th April 2021

Although COVID-19 presented challenges for research and fieldwork in 2020, our Global Kids Online partners have made important progress still. We share updates and reflect on lessons learned during a year of adjusting to a socially distanced world. While the lives of many children have become digital by default, Global Kids Online has worked to unpack how digital inequalities affect children’s online opportunities, to identify pathways to vulnerability, inform child protection efforts, and to flag concerns about the impact of digital marginalization on child rights.

Children globally rely on the internet during Covid19

23rd April 2021

During COVID19 it has become more urgent than ever to recognise the importance of the digital environment for children and young people. In a digital world, internet access is a vital gateway for both the realisation and violation of children’s rights. Recently the global #CovidUnder19 project released new findings on how children are relying on the internet for their information, education and participation.

Pathways from offline to online risk: new findings

9th February 2021

Children’s lives are increasingly mediated by digital technologies, yet our knowledge of how this affects their well-being is patchy. Today, UNICEF and LSE are launching our rapid evidence review aiming to identify the pathways to resilience and harm and the factors that can intensify risk or protect children from it. Ensuring children’s well-being and positive engagement with digital technologies requires more attention to long-term consequences and filling the gaps in our evidence, regulation, and education initiatives.

International day against violence and bullying

4th November 2020

The UNESCO member states declared the first Thursday of November the International day against violence and bullying at school in recognition that school-related violence in all its forms is an infringement of children and adolescents’ rights to education and to health and well-being. In support of this initiative, we reflect on the comparative findings of the Global Kids Online network based on data among nearly 15,000 internet-using children in 11 countries across Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.